My Net Worth: Leeann Watson, Business Canterbury CEO

Leann Watson started working at Business Canterbury 28 years ago. (Image: Supplied)

Sun, 24 Aug 2025

Leeann Watson began at Business Canterbury 28 years ago as an events coordinator and is now in her eighth year as chief executive. She has overseen a major transformation of the chamber while helping steer the region’s business community through recessions and the pandemic. Her proudest achievement, though, is raising three children with her husband of 32 years. I grew up in Dunedin, the middle of three girls, in what I’d call a pretty typical Kiwi household. Mum and Dad worked hard. We never went without, but you had to work f...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

The Life

Review: Logitech MX Master 4

Life is all about making tasks easier for yourself, and the MX Master does exactly that.

Jacques Steenkamp 05 Oct 2025

The Life Review

‘When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows…’

The oddities of social life may turn on our assumptions about the knowledge we share.

The Wall Street Journal 05 Oct 2025

‘When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows…’

The Life Review

MG Cyberster 77kWh AWD: the doors of a billionaire

The Cyberster isn't your grandad's MGB.

Damien O’Carroll 05 Oct 2025

MG Cyberster 77kWh AWD: the doors of a billionaire

Sponsored

Why New Zealand organisations need to rethink their cloud strategy

New Zealand organisations have embraced cloud computing over the past decade, but many are now confronting a sobering reality: adoption alone isn’t enough. According to Datacom’s 2025 Cloud & Infrastructure Report, only half of New Zealand businesses say they’ve realised the benefits they expected from cloud – despite significant investment.

Datacom

Sponsored